236 



HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SIP. 



men employed draining a swamp on his farm, and 

 they found, at the depth of four feet from the surface, 

 a number of large bones, which they supposed at 

 first to be those of a bullock. Mr. M 'Tier examined 

 the bones, and identified them as being those of a 

 moa. A careful search was then made for the 

 remainder of the skeleton, and the whole of the bones, 

 with the exception of one or two small ones, have 

 been found. The skeleton has been sent to the 

 Museum at Auckland ; and it will probably prove to 

 be the most complete skeleton of this extinct bird that 

 has ever been found in the North Island. 



The Geology of Water-Sutply. — An interest- 

 ing experiment is being made by the Stafford Town 

 Council, in order to obtain a good water-supply for 

 the town. By boring to a depth of about 600 feet 

 by means of the Diamond Rock-boring process they 

 hope to penetrate the water-bearing rocks of the New 

 Red Sandstone formation, which exist widely in Staf- 

 fordshire, and in many places lie at an elevated level. 

 A depth of 300 feet has already been bored. It was 

 asserted by many eminent geologists that extensive 

 beds of rock salt existed in the variegated marls above 

 the bunter rocks. This opinion has been found to be 

 correct, for a bed of rock salt 40 feet in thickness 

 has been perforated, as well as various smaller veins ; 

 but the engineers find that the brine can be effectually 

 "tubbed out" by means of iron lining tubes. A 

 considerable length of time must necessarily elapse 

 before the water-bearing rocks are entered. 



Geological Phenomenon in the Savoy 

 Alps. — This crumbling down of mountains, as 

 noticed in the September number of Science-Gossip, 

 has gone on from unknown time. The mass of 

 matter now falling in Tarentaise is said to have formed 

 a "mound 2,000 ft. in diameter at the bottom, and 

 600 feet wide at the top." In the Tyrolean Alps 

 such masses of fallen rock extend to great distances, 

 and are of great thickness. Rocks of varied sorts 

 and of varied size are found in them, the whole mass 

 conglomerated together by a silicious-calcareous 

 natural cement, due to the constant percolation of 

 water holding silica and calcium in solution. As a 

 rule the lower portions of mountains are formed from 

 material that has rolled down from the top. Rail- 

 ways in the Alpine districts are constructed on this 

 debris : great skill and constant care are required in 

 their construction, and in preventing the whole hill- 

 side from slipping down. The vibration of the traffic 

 loosens the surface, while the natural erosion of the 

 foundation by subterranean water slowly but surely 

 undermines the whole. To counteract this natural 

 tendency, great works arc now going on at the French 

 end of the Mont Cenis tunnel. The preventive 

 works on the Brenner pass, for the purpose of stopping 

 slips and intercepting avalanches of rock, are frequent 

 and of great magnitude. The causes of these 

 avalanches and slips are due to natural agents always 



at work. Both happen most frequently in wet seasons ; 

 water percolates the crevices very common in cal- 

 careous rocks ; the adhesion is destroyed, and the 

 masses gi-avitate, breaking up in their fall. As rain 

 falls on the bare rock-face of the mountain-height, it 

 runs down below the debris, resting on the lower 

 slopes. This subterranean water-force even eats 

 away the bottom of the debris, which inevitably sinks 

 into the undulation beneath it, or slips down the face 

 of the mountain at some time or other. We da 

 not require any "folding or crumpling of formerly 

 horizontal strata " to cause these local dislocations: 

 they are unavoidable under the laws of nature, and 

 we must recollect that the formation of mountains by 

 crumpling and folding is only an unfounded theory 

 of man. Our mountain tunnels might be very dan- 

 gerous if the rocks were in the habit of folding up. — 

 //. P. Malet. 



[Mr. Malet forgets that the entire region of the 

 Alps is folded nevertheless. — Ed. S.-G.] 



" Cave- HUNTING." — We have received a copy 

 of Mr. Rooke Pennington's "Notes on the Barrows 

 and Bone Caves of Derbyshire," published by 

 Macmillan. Mr. Pennington is well known as an 

 ardent cave-explorer, and those who have seen the 

 Museum at Castleton, containing the results of his 

 labours, will acknowledge that large contributions to 

 our geological knowledge maybe made from " Cave- 

 hunting." This book also contains a well-written 

 account of a descent into Eldon Hole — one of the 

 wonders of the Peak — made by the author some time 

 ago. Mr. Pennington writes like one who has a 

 story to tell, and he tells his well and unaffectedly. 



Recent Works on Physical Geography. — 

 There are few modern sciences which have made 

 more rapid progress in breadth and clearness of views 

 than that of Physical Geography. This is due to the 

 auxiliary aid received from other sciences, and 

 especially to the fact that it can only thoroughly be 

 understood from a geological point of view. We 

 have received a copy of ' ' Elementary Lessons in 

 Physical Geography," by Professor Geikie, F.R.S_ 

 (London : Macmillan), uniform with the series on 

 Botany by Hooker, on Chemistry by Roscoe, and 

 on Physiology by Huxley. An elementary work on 

 Physical Geography, written from a geologist's stand- 

 point, was much needed, and we therefore welcome 

 this work. The reputation of the author is sufficient 

 recommendation for its scientific value, and the 

 idlest of literary triflers will have nothing to complain 

 of on the score of interest. "Physiography and 

 Physical Geography " is the title of another little 

 manual by the Rev. Dr. Alexander Mackay (Edin- 

 burgh and London : W. Blackwood & Sons). It 

 is compiled with special reference to the instructions 

 recently issued by the Science and Art Department, 

 by whom the needless name of " Physiography" has 

 been adopted. Dr. Mackay's little manual is very 



